Review of Respect (2021) by Soulmusic — 28 Aug 2021

Oh my goodness this movie is AMAZING and everything about this movie is PERFECT. The chemistry between Audra McDonald and Skye Dakota Turner was amazing and it was so beautiful to see the chemistry being carried on later in the film with Audra and Jennifer Hudson.

Despite only sharing one scene, they made it feel like they've known eachother their whole lives and they share a true mother-daughter relationship. Watching Forest Whitaker and Jennifer and even seeing the bond that Aretha and her sisters had was so beautiful.

I was completely captivated by the movie that my eyes were just glued to the screen! Watching Aretha's development was so special because we see her starting out as timid but later, we see her discovering her voice and realizing that she's got this.

Seeing that scene where Aretha was done with Ted for the last time and when it cut to her singing "Think", it was really a testament to her development. The movie was a huge reality check for me because it made me realize that Aretha had her demons and was human just like the rest of us.

At times, it was really cool to realize that the movie was an actual movie because I felt so immersed in Ms Franklin's life that I felt like I was actually there. There were many scenes where I was on the brink of tears and one of the best scenes throughout the movie was the Amazing Grace scene.

It was so emotional seeing Aretha surrounded by everyone closest to her while she sung what she wanted to sing. Seeing Tituss Burgess as Reverend James Cleveland interacting with Aretha really packed a huge punch because of their bond.

It goes without saying that the music and singing was perfect, and to see how Aretha's mind would always be thinking about music really showed her artistry. No matter how small the role, you can definitely see the blood, sweat and tears put into the making of this film and Liesl Tommy REALLY outdid herself by directing this movie so magically.

Thank you to everyone involved in the making of this film, from the prop team to the set makers and to the actors themselves. You've depicted the Queen's life so wonderfully and I look forward to watching this classic a 100 more times in the future and listening to the soundtrack for evermore.